Years ago I bought from a South African company, Karrimor, a suitcase-come-rucksack. It opened on the top like a suitcase, and you could use it as such, or you could unzip what was the bottom and you had a couple of straps and a belt to use it like a rucksack.

As you know I undertake the maraton trips from Canada to South Africa quite often. Door to door can take 36+ hours and I have usec a smal backpack to hold all. Depending on the route the trip may involve a 5-6 hour layover and I found the toting the bag on my back along with the restriced space in cattle class aggrievates my back. I have just switched to a back with wheeels, and certainly on the one instance that i have used it it seems to help.

I always travel with a Tilly Hat when I am going touring. I quote from the brg tag sewn into the hat: "It floats, ties on, repels rain and mildew, won't shrink, and will be replaced free if it wears out. (Yes, put it in your will.)"

Case in point. I have an LL Bean leather braided belt. I like it becuase being braided, it had fin er hole resolution than other belts. You can better ajust it. So, it finally began to fray where I uckled it every day so I brought it back to the Local LL Bean Store. Alas, the no longer carry braided belts. What to do.

I lost weight and can now use a different belt hole. I suppose you can also solve the problem by gaining weight. Well, I kind of did that. Now I'm one belt hole away from where I started. Two more will mean my waist is smaller than it's been in many years. I might even be able to reclaim last summer's shorts that were too big this year. Of course by the time that happens in about 7 weeks, the season for wearing shorts will be over.

Part of the reason for the shorter belt has to do with cutting out the daily bagel. Now it a half bagel one or twice a week instead of a whole bagel nearly every day.

When my daughter's LL Bean Backpack wore out after 8 years, we bright it to the store. She walked out with a new one at no charge.

@David: ...It had got a bit battered and my wife chucked it out in one of her periodic spring cleans...

Why do wives do stuff like that without asking. Can you imagine what they would say if we threw their stuff out?

I remember my dad coming back from work one day and finding his favorite (green enamel over cast iron) casarole dish in the trash. My mom had bought him a spanking new one (which he hated). He didn;t argue -- he just rescued his favorite one from the trash and stored it on a shelf in the garage -- I still use it to this day -- the new one my mom bought has long been lost in the mists of time...

Years ago I bought from a South African company, Karrimor, a suitcase-come-rucksack. It opened on the top like a suitcase, and you could use it as such, or you could unzip what was the bottom and you had a couple of straps and a belt to use it like a rucksack. It had a couple more zip-on small bags that you could use as a day pack and a briefcase-sized case.

It had got a bit battered and my wife chucked it out in one of her periodic spring cleans. That we are still married is a constant amazement because of this, and I have never managed to find another one. it was SOOO handy when trekking between airport terminalsand the like.

In conjunction with unveiling of EE Times’ Silicon 60 list, journalist & Silicon 60 researcher Peter Clarke hosts a conversation on startups in the electronics industry. One of Silicon Valley's great contributions to the world has been the demonstration of how the application of entrepreneurship and venture capital to electronics and semiconductor hardware can create wealth with developments in semiconductors, displays, design automation, MEMS and across the breadth of hardware developments. But in recent years concerns have been raised that traditional venture capital has turned its back on hardware-related startups in favor of software and Internet applications and services. Panelists from incubators join Peter Clarke in debate.